Featured TV on DVD Review: Blue Bloods: Season Four

September 8, 2014

Blue Bloods: Season Four - Buy from Amazon: DVD

Blue Bloods' ratings improved last season, at least with respect to the rest of CBS's lineup. It was no longer the lowest rated show on CBS that earned a renewal. It wasn't even its lowest rated show on Friday night. (On a side note, I think Hawaii Five-0 might be ending soon. It's ratings are low and I seriously doubt it is a cheap show to make.) Overall, the ratings are very reliable. Is the quality of the show as reliable as its ratings are?

The Show

Blue Bloods is one of those shows that's difficult to review, because there is no overarching plot for the season and each episode tends to have several plot threads, some are police procedurals, others deal more with the political aspects of the police, while some are more family related. Talking about every thread from every episode would take forever. There are a couple of threads to talk about. Firstly, Jamie, the youngest of the Reagan kids, gets a new partner, Edit "Eddie" Jenko. This comes off of Danny getting a new partner last season. Jamie is also looking to become a detective, as both his father, Frank, and his older brother, became detectives faster than he has. The other thread that lasts more than an episode involves the mother of a murder victim, played by Karen Allen, who believes the wrong person was convicted of her daughter's murder and wants the case reopened.

Most of the rest of the episodes balance the police procedural / police life elements, as well as the family drama elements. I do like the show for focusing as much on the cops lives and how what they do affects them. We often see the Reagan family dinners where the various adults, most of whom are cops or lawyers, discuss issues like stop and frisk, or lying about the little facts to make a case, and other issues. There are also a lot of fun guest stars Marc Blucas, Bebe Neuwirth, Charisma Carpenter, Chazz Palminteri, and Thomas Cavanagh.

Like I said last time, Blue Bloods is an amazingly consistent show. There are no truly bad episodes. On the other hand, it is old-fashioned compared to most other police procedurals. If you are a fan of C.S.I. and love the high tech investigations, you will probably be quite bored here.

The Extras

Extras are spread throughout the DVD sets with deleted scenes on most episodes and audio commentary tracks on a few episodes. Disc six has the rest of the extras, starting with a 30-minute recap of the season. Up next is a 13-minute long featurette called Growing Up Reagan, which is about Sami Gayle. There is a seven-minute featurette on the locations the show uses. The final featurette is a look at the two new partners: Vanessa Ray and Marisa Ramirez. Finally, there are five minutes of outtakes.

The Verdict

Blue Bloods is one of the most consistent shows I've reviewed. Season four doesn't really have a misstep and the DVD has plenty of extras. If you are a fan of the show, it is easily worth picking up.


- Submitted by:

Filed under: Video Review, Karen Allen, Marc Blucas, Charisma Carpenter, Thomas Cavanagh, Will Estes, Bebe Neuwirth, Chazz Palminteri, Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Sami Gayle, Vanessa Ray